Path of the Moon Rager (5A)

Starfox's 5th Edition Fan Page

This is a Barbarian primal path for 5A.

All barbarians must learn to master their rage; the moon rager are those whose wrath stems from an inborn or inflicted lycanthropic curse. Through this path of training, noble moon ragers turn this evil power to their advantage, while the worst follow in their ancestors’ bloody footsteps. Only those who have taken on the curse of lycanthropy may adopt this path; it is most commonly passed on from another moon rager in a blood-soaked rite of passage.

There may be barbarian lychantropes other than wolves, and in most cases they can use this primal path, just changing the form they assume with the Wolfwalker ability.

Path Abilities

The saving throw DC for your Moonstruck and Cursed Bite abilities is 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. The restriction against concentrating on spells while raging does not apply to your Moonstruck or Cursed Bite features.

Slavering Jaws

At 3rd level when you adopt this Path, you can temporarily transform your jaws into a dangerous weapon. Whenever you wish, you may transform your nose and jaw into a snout as part of rolling initiative, or as a bonus action at any time during combat. Transforming them back requires an action, and the transformation lasts until you deliberately end it.

• While transformed, you may not speak save for grunts and howls, preventing you from completing verbal components in spells.
• May bite as an unarmed strike for 1d6 piercing damage, using your Strength modifier for the attack. At 10th level, this damage increases to 1d8.
• May make a bite attack as a bonus action while raging.

Keen Senses

At 3rd level, when you adopt this path, your sense of hearing and your sense of smell become preternaturally keen. You gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks involving sound or scent, and you may make Wisdom (Survival) checks to track targets based solely on scent traces, with the check’s DC determined by the GM. Further, you gain immunity to all forms of lycanthropic curses, since you already have one.

No Fear Save Silver

Starting at 3rd level, you take on lycanthropic resilience when raging. You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage dealt by a non-silver weapon while you are raging. This is actually a vulnerability, it weakens the resistance to damage you have while raging.

Moonstruck

Starting at 6th level, you gain a limited ability to pass on the madness that a werewolf suffers during the full moon. When you are raging and deal damage to an enemy with a bite attack, you may force the enemy to make a Wisdom saving throw or suffer the effects of the Confusion spell, with a duration of 1 minute. As normal, targets may attempt another save at the end of each of their turns to end the effect, and a creature that has saved against the ability is immune for 1 hour. Once you use this feature, you may not do so again until you enter a new rage. You cannot use both Moonstruck and Cursed Bite on the same turn.

Wolfwalker

At 6th level you can Polymorph into a Wolf at will. If your wolf form is killed, you cannot use this ability again until you finish a long rest.

Cursed Bite

Starting at 10th level, your curse of lycanthropy is as potent as the darkest of legends, and you can immediately turn a bitten enemy into a werewolf under your control. After you deal damage to an enemy with a bite attack or any other unarmed strike, you may force the enemy to make a Constitution saving throw. Creatures of types other than fey, giants, and humanoids automatically succeed this saving throw. On a success, the target suffers an additional 3d10 piercing damage. On a failure, the target is polymorphed into a werewolf under your control for one minute. At the end of each of its turns, the target receives a new Constitution saving throw to revert to its natural form and break your control over it. Once you use this feature, you may not do so again until you complete a long rest.

Greater Lycanthrope

You can use the Moonstruck ability at will, but a creature that has saved against the ability is immune for 1 hour. You regain your Cursed Bite ability when you enter a rage.

Editor's Notes

This is a very cool idea, but the execution needed quite a bit of polish. I also added the true wolf form to make it more high fantasy.